Na'at — Rawzat

The Meaning of Na’at

The Arabic word na’t (نَعت) means to describe or to praise — specifically, to enumerate someone’s qualities and virtues in speech or verse. In the Islamic literary tradition, na’t refers specifically to poetry praising the Prophet Muhammad (SAW): describing his beauty, his character, his lineage, his miracles, his love for his community, and his role as the final seal of prophethood.

Na’at differs from other forms of Islamic poetry:

Hamd praises Allah directly
Manqabat praises the Imams and Awliya
Marsiya (elegy/lamentation) mourns the martyrs — particularly Imam Husain (AS) at Karbala
Na’at specifically praises the Prophet (SAW)

All of these forms are present in the Bohra devotional tradition, often sung in sequence in a single gathering: Hamd opens (praise of Allah), Na’at follows (praise of the Prophet), Manqabat continues (praise of the Imams), and Marsiya may close (if the occasion calls for grief). This sequence enacts the Bohra understanding of the divine hierarchy: Allah → Prophet → Imam.

The Quranic Basis

The command to praise the Prophet has Quranic authority:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسلِيمًا “Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and greet him with the salutation of peace.” (Quran 33:56)

If Allah Himself and His angels send salawat (blessings and praise) on the Prophet, then the believer’s na’at is participation in a cosmic act — joining the divine and angelic chorus in honouring the one whose coming was a mercy to all worlds. This understanding elevates na’at from cultural entertainment to a form of ‘ibadah (worship).

Classical Na’at: The Arab Tradition

The oldest and most celebrated na’at in the Arabic tradition is Qasidat al-Burda (The Ode of the Mantle) by Imam al-Busiri (d. 1296 CE). The poem’s name derives from the famous tradition that the Prophet (SAW) appeared to al-Busiri in a dream and covered him with his mantle (burda), curing his paralysis. The poem’s opening lines are among the most memorised in the Arabic literary canon:

“Is it the memory of beloved ones in Dhu Salam
That has mixed your tears with your blood?”

The Bohra tradition has deep familiarity with al-Burda; its verses are quoted in waaz and sung in gatherings. The poem’s 160 verses describe the Prophet’s birth, his character, his miracles, his night journey (Isra wal-Mi’raj), his battles, and close with pleas for intercession.

Bohra Na’at in Lisan ud-Dawat

The Dawat has an extraordinarily rich na’at tradition in Lisan ud-Dawat (the Language of the Dawat) — the Bohra community’s liturgical Gujarati-Arabic mixed language. This tradition stretches back centuries and represents one of the most distinctive expressions of Bohra cultural identity.

The Themes of Bohra Na’at

Bohra na’at in Lisan ud-Dawat typically covers:

The Prophet’s beauty (husn): descriptions of the Prophet’s luminous face, his radiant eyes, his graceful bearing — not as mere physical description but as a meditation on divine beauty made manifest in the best of creation
The Prophet’s lineage (nasab): the chain from Ibrahim through Ismail, through the Hashimites, to Abdullah and Amina — emphasising that the Prophet came from the purest lineage, preserved across generations by divine guidance
Longing and love (shawq): the emotional core of na’at — the lover longing for the beloved, the community separated by centuries from its Prophet, the heart aching with love for someone it cannot see. This longing is a spiritual posture: it orients the soul toward the Prophet’s reality.
Intercession (shafa’a): pleas for the Prophet’s intercession on the Day of Judgment — acknowledging that the relationship with the Prophet is not merely historical but active: the Prophet is alive in barzakh, aware of his community, and able to intercede
Specific events from the Sira: the Isra wal-Mi’raj, the conquest of Mecca, the Farewell Pilgrimage, Ghadir Khumm — pivotal moments narrated in verse with their spiritual implications

The Duat as Na’at Composers

Many of the Duat Mutlaqeen were accomplished poets who composed na’at in Lisan ud-Dawat. Syedna Taher Saifuddin (RA), the 51st Dai, was a celebrated poet whose na’at and qasidas are considered among the finest in the Bohra literary tradition. His na’at compositions are sung at Milad programs and preserved in the community’s devotional canon.

Na’at in Bohra Community Life

Milad Programs

The primary occasion for formal na’at performance is the Milad gathering — the community’s celebration of the Prophet’s birthday on 12 Rabi’ al-Awwal. A Milad program typically opens with Quranic recitation, continues with Arabic na’at, then na’at in Lisan ud-Dawat, and closes with collective salawat and du’a.

Standing for the Prophet: In many Bohra communities, when the na’at reaches the moment of describing the Prophet’s birth — or when his name is mentioned with particular reverence — the community stands. This is the qiyam (standing) — a form of bodily respect that parallels the respect shown when a dignitary enters a room.

At Waaz

The Aamil typically begins or ends the waaz with recitation of salawat — sometimes in a specific melodic form that is itself a brief na’at. The opening of the waaz may include a formal na’at recited by the Aamil or a designated reciter.

Children’s Education

Children learn short na’at verses in the maktab as part of their devotional education. Memorising a na’at is considered excellent for a child’s spiritual formation — it plants the Prophet’s praise in the child’s heart and tongue from an early age. Na’at competitions (musabaqat) in some jamats encourage children to memorise and recite.

At Urs and Wiladat Programs

Na’at and manqabat are the primary musical forms at all commemorative programs in the Bohra calendar. Even at programs primarily focused on the Imams or Duat, na’at of the Prophet opens the gathering — establishing the chain: Allah bestowed the na’mat on the Prophet, who bestowed it through the Imams to the community.

The Musical Dimension: Qawwali and Lahn

Bohra na’at is not performed to elaborate musical accompaniment like the South Asian qawwali tradition — but it does have a distinctive melodic style, called lahn (melody/tune), that is passed down through communal practice. The same na’at may be sung to several established tunes, and certain melodies are associated with specific emotions or occasions.

The Dawat does not prohibit musical performance in na’at contexts, understanding it as a vehicle that amplifies the devotional effect — the melody carrying the heart where the words go.

Ta’wil of Na’at

The zahir of na’at is the outward poem — the words, the melody, the gathering, the standing, the collective salawat.

The batin of na’at is the soul’s living orientation toward the Prophet. The ideal of na’at is not performance but transformation: the mumin who truly internalises what the na’at describes — the Prophet’s mercy, his beauty, his love for the community — cannot help but be changed by it. Na’at is a mirror: held up to the Prophet’s qualities, the mumin sees what they should become.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to them than their children, their parents, and all of mankind.” Na’at is the community’s practice of cultivating this love: by praising the Prophet in verse and song, the heart gradually moves the Prophet from an object of information to the centre of devotion.

Na'at — Devotional Poetry in Praise of the Prophet